Body and Bread
by Miss Macabre Grey
Summary: Alone in Ancient Egypt, a young man is withering away from starvation as he hides from slavery. On his last breath, a mysterious thief steals him on a cold desert night. An unorthodox encounter becomes the start of a partnership that would last for millennia. (Happy birthday, Marik Ishtar!)


This was beta'd by the great and fabulous ChaosRocket foreverish ago, but I'm only now posting it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARIK! This little oneshot is like an interpretation of how Marik came to exist. I mean, one cannot be born as reincarnation without the first incarnate being born. Have fun, guys.

* * *

"Are you cold? The nights can get rather frigid here," I heard someone say, but I was not about to look up. The person wouldn't understand why I was really shivering. Yes, I was cold, but what made my body so unstable was a hunger unlike any other.

I didn't reply to the stranger; I actually acted like I hadn't heard a thing, but he didn't take being ignored too well.

His warm hands went under my bony chin and jerked my face up. With the darkness of the night and the fact the man wore a clandestine head-covering; the stranger remained hidden in the wide open. I never was one to be pulled in by looks, however, so I shook his hand away and glanced back down. I felt so weak that even the very slight movement of my head set chaos inside my skull.

"Leave me. I won't … be worth your time in the end. . . ." A faint breeze blew, and I shivered a little. Not too long after that I felt my cold body leave the ground and become encompassed in a mellow warmth.

The stranger said nothing to me, and my voice had already left my dry throat. I guessed that I was somehow worth his time, but I couldn't bring myself to wonder why or how. In a few more hours I would have died, and I wasn't unaccustomed to slave labor, so I had no real reasons to worry. All I wanted was more of his warmth as I drifted into unconsciousness.

•*.*•

When I next awoke the moon was out, but it had waned noticeably from the last time I saw it. I should have wondered where I was and how I got there, but I felt too at ease to care. I slept on a pile of soft linens and under a somewhat shoddy looking roof to what seemed like a makeshift hut. I saw the moon through the open doorway. The moon's soft light peaked inside to highlight beautiful golden specks. I wondered what could make such rare shimmer until I figured out that I was probably surrounded by real gold.

"This is. . . ." I murmured in surprise as I looked around me.I could not even describe what it was like to see such treasure all in one place.

"This is my home," a voice called into the hut. I froze and paled, but the familiar voice also had a calming effect on me.

"The person from before?" I asked even though I knew it was he.

"Yes. Nice of you to finally wake up. Feel better, brat?" Though the words were less than sweet, I deserved them. My stomach was not growling nearly as much as before, and my throat seemed less dry. I almost smiled because despite still feeling awful, I had not felt so well in years.

"I do. May I have your name?"

"No. Just treat me as the guy that just saved your life."

I weighed my options, and as much as doing what I was told seemed like the better idea, I did not want to give in so easily. "Well, thank you, Thief. Looks like I was saved by a kidnapper with an ego."

"Looks like I a saved a brat that should still be too weak to blabber this much."

"I do not blabber!" I retorted angrily. I wanted to sit upright and cross my arms in a huff, but that required far too much energy. "Can you at least step into the light where I can see you?" The light came in through the open door, but he leaned on the same wall as the door where the light couldn't reach.

"If you wanted to look at me well than maybe you should have awoken sooner. You can see me in the morning. For now I want you to rest. I put bread and a cup of water near your head if you need it. Good night."

I opened my mouth to call out to him, but then I dismissed whatever else I had wanted to say. I did still need to rest, and our bickering used too much energy. Still, my head drowned in a sea of questions.

•*.*•

Gentle shaking brought me back into slight consciousness, but I refused to open my eyes. I remember still trying to dream as a warm hand shook my arm more and more forcibly. Words were being spoken, and I ignored those, as well. Who would be bothering me what I wanted to sleep?

For a second time I felt myself being lifted from the ground, but this time, unlike before, I was then dropped none too gently back onto the linen. If the person wanted me awake, I definitely woke up from that annoying experience.

"You can get up on your own next time, I assume?" that voice asked mockingly.

I rolled onto my back and then begrudgingly stood. I shot the man a glare, and then my gaze faltered when I finally really looked at him. His hair was a mess of ashen lavender that almost reached his shoulders. His eyes were hard amethyst. His skin was several shades darker than my own except for the pinkish scar running down his right eye. I thought my kidnapper would be a stout and bulky man with several more scares and disfigurements, but he was stunning. With perfectly cut muscles, a proportioned body, and a youthful glow, I couldn't understand why he stayed alone in a shack in the desert.

"Worth the wait?" he asked with the smuggest smirk.

I upturned my head away and crossed my arms. "I do not know what you are talking about, Thief. As far as I am concerned, I have waited and still have not been given proper answers."

The thief leaned back on the wall and shrugged his shoulders. His red and gold vestments looked so thick and heavy, I wondered how he managed to move so fluidly. The smirk never faltered once as he continued to look at me.

"I had too much bread lying around. I may steal most of my belongings, but I dislike waste in any situation." He seemed to emphasize the last bit with a meaningful look at me, but I tried to ignore it. "I figured I should not let the bread mold and decay."

"You really expect me to think you saved me because wasting bread makes you upset?"

"Not really. But wasting looks like yours would be a crime if I know any."

I would have blushed if I had any less control over my body and emotions. I would have blushed if I had any less control over my body and emotions, but learning how to survive while fasting had taught me control over my bodily and emotional desires. "What will you have of me now that I have eaten your precious bread and gotten better?"

He shrugged again. His smirk left him at last for a pondering expression. If I had been any stronger, I surely would not have let myself be taken so easily by such a thoughtless thief. Still, I patiently waited for him to reply. "You look like an expert at sneaking around and quick escapes. You have a quick wit and can control yourself well. You do not gawk and let yourself be distracted by great and immediate material wealth nor have you tried using the skills mentioned prior to try to steal from me. Without a doubt you are a grateful and loyal type, but nowhere near submissive. So," he said calmly as his smirk returned, "I will make you my partner."

I scrutinized him for any signs of joking, and while his smirk never faded, he obviously meant every word. My voice died in my throat for a moment, but I needed to say something. "You and I do not even know each other's names."

"Neither one of us are defined by a bunch of syllables people call names. I forget I even have one most days."

"So have you forgotten your name right now?"

"I think calling me 'Thief' is good enough. Anything you prefer to go by, brat?"

"Oh, shush with the brat comments!" I snapped at him before thinking about the question. "I am. . . . I was never given a name, to be honest. Names are really unimportant when you are, ah. . . ."

"How did you manage to escape?"

"With great difficulty." We had an unspoken understanding about not furthering any discussion on my past slave role. How he knew that part of me, I never figured out, but I never really wanted to know. He never tried to gain more information, so it was never important.

"Mind if I call you Malak?"

"No!" I exclaimed, my brown eyebrows furrowed in scorn.

"Aw, why not?"

"That is obviously not a male name!"

"And? I still think it suits you well, Malak. You are an angel, you know. Fell right into my arms from the sky."

"More like you stole my unconscious body from desolate sands. I debate whether or not I should slap you or thank you." I could never actually slap that thief. Despite my annoyance, he could crush me easily if he wanted. The first time I resisted him, I wanted to give up on life, but having regained some strength, I valued myself a bit more than to test his temper too much.

"Neither one of those options will bring sufficient results. I saved you, so the best form of gratitude is servitude. Will you accept my offer, Malak?" Thief formed it like a question, but his eyes gave me only one option.

I sighed and nodded. "Only if you stop calling me Malak. Also, I request more bread."

He smirked as he turned to leave. My stomach growled, so I desperately hoped that he was going to get me food. Surprisingly, I trusted him rather quickly. I openly wanted his return and made no attempt to escape. A part of that may have been because I knew trying would be useless; I would never last in the desert being in such a weakened state. Also, with him, I had a small luxury: food. The more I thought, the louder my stomach growled.

I waited patiently for his return, but when he failed to come, I decided to go outside at legs shook a bit when I tried to stand up, but I had enough nourishment that I was able to stabilize myself soon enough. I walked out of the shack to see that he had already returned, and was merely leaning against the wall, wearing that same smirk.

"So good of you to get your pampered ass up. Here's your treat," he said teasingly, and passed me half a loaf of bread.

I grabbed the hard, thin bread and munched on it as I tentatively surveyed the lived near a good oasis, but other than that, there was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. I noticed a horse by the water, but I doubted it would let me ride it alone. The thief liked things loyal to him, I assumed. Still, I supposed the area was better than behind a rickety wall in the marketplace where I continuously had to hide from anyone that could recognize me as a former slave. The bread I chewed gave me nourishment I had not had in ages. I looked more closely at the water, and then noticed the piles of food around it- foods like watermelon, onions and apples. The thought of a juicy red apple made my mouth water happily.

"You can't eat the onions, if that's what you're looking at. Those are mine."

"Huh?" I dumbly responded before remembering my wit. "Keep your onions. I was staring at the apples and water. I take it you will permit me to eat those?"

Thief leaned in close to me with an arm outstretched near my head and a cocky look plastered on his face. "I could _definitely_ let you try a few apples," he purred into my ear.

My face somewhat noticeably reddened in anger and embarrassment, but I quickly pulled myself together as I pushed him away. "Fool, I do even know what that means! That made no sense at all."

He growled and sighed, but not so much in anger as frustration. "You're such a damn prude. Nonetheless, the best treasures are the ones hardest to take. You agreed to be my servant, but I'm okay with this little rebellious nature of yours. At least the bread isn't going to waste."

I rolled my eyes and "humphed" before walking to the oasis and grabbing an apple. As annoying as Thief was, I liked how different things were in his company. To him I was both a servant and treasure, and to me he was both an annoyance and a comfort. A small smile spread over my lips while I had my tan back turned to him. Our interesting relationship had only just begun.

* * *

So that is all! I hope you all review and whatnot. ^.^; Don't you all jaunt love ChaosRocket for being so awesome all the time?

Anyway, yeah. Malak is basically just a feminine name for angel in Arabic or Whatever. I cannot precisely remember since I looked this all up weeks ago, but that's the hair of it. I have a name for Yami Marik, which is Kek, but making proper names for Thief King and Past Marik still escapes me. I didn't want to be all "Akefia/Namu" here, so theft remain overall nameless.

Seriously though, guys. Review. Or else I won't love you anymore!


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